Go and Do Likewise

Devotional

Day 1: Love Sees the Person Others Walk Past

When others notice needs but keep moving, love stops to truly see. Three travelers encountered the same wounded man: two saw an inconvenience, one saw a neighbor. Kingdom love begins by refusing to look away from what’s uncomfortable. It’s not about grand gestures but recognizing the human being behind the interruption—the grocery store stranger, the lonely churchgoer, the quiet family member. To see as Jesus sees means trading excuses for holy attention. [10:44]

“But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.”
(Luke 10:33–34, ESV)

Reflection: When did you last notice someone others overlooked? What kept you from seeing them as Jesus does?

Day 2: Crossing the Road Toward the Mess

Compassion isn’t a feeling—it’s a step. The Samaritan didn’t admire mercy from a distance; he knelt in the dirt, touched bloody wounds, and rerouted his plans. Love moves toward the awkward phone call, the overgrown lawn, the tear-stained face in the pew. It’s not about solving every problem but entering the one in front of you. Mercy becomes real when we let it interrupt our schedule. [16:00]

“And Jesus said, ‘Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You go, and do likewise.’”
(Luke 10:36–37, ESV)

Reflection: What “road” have you avoided crossing lately? What practical step could you take this week to move closer?

Day 3: Mercy Costs More Than Sympathy

The Samaritan spent time, money, and reputation to help a stranger. Oil, wine, bandages, donkey rides—mercy requires sacrifice. We often want to care without cost, but love trades convenience for commitment. It’s preparing the meal instead of just suggesting it, sending the text instead of assuming others will. Real compassion leaves fingerprints on our calendars and wallets. [22:45]

“The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’”
(Luke 10:35, ESV)

Reflection: Where has God asked you to invest resources—not just good intentions—in someone’s pain?

Day 4: From “Who Is My Neighbor?” to “I Will Be a Neighbor”

The lawyer sought limits; Jesus demanded action. Neighborliness isn’t about categories but choices. The wounded man didn’t need a theological debate—he needed oil, wine, and a ride. Kingdom love asks not “How little can I do?” but “What does this moment require?” Our calling isn’t to define boundaries but to dissolve them with practical kindness. [26:10]

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
(Luke 10:27, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been waiting for others to act instead of becoming the neighbor Jesus describes?

Day 5: Holy Interruptions as Divine Appointments

The priest and Levite saw a disruption; the Samaritan saw a divine moment. God often places needs in our path—not on our timelines. That phone call, that unkempt yard, that silent cry for help—they’re not accidents. Love reshapes interruptions into invitations to reflect Christ’s heart. What looks like a detour might be your kingdom assignment. [14:28]

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.”
(Luke 10:30, ESV)

Reflection: What recent interruption might God be asking you to reinterpret as a sacred opportunity?

Sermon Summary

Jesus uses Luke 10 to pull love out of the world of good ideas and into the mess of real life. The little moments, holding a door, letting traffic merge, stopping for someone in the grocery aisle, show how quickly love becomes more than something admirable. Love becomes a decision when life gets inconvenient.

Luke begins with a lawyer who knows the right answer. The lawyer says that eternal life is tied to loving the Lord with all the heart, soul, strength, and mind, and loving the neighbor as oneself. Jesus tells him, “Do this and you’ll live.” But the lawyer wants to justify himself, so the real question comes out: “Who is my neighbor?” The question is not really how far love can go. The question is how little love can get by with and still be okay with God.

Jesus answers with a man beaten, bruised, bloodied, and left half dead on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. The priest sees him and passes by. The Levite sees him and passes by. The problem is not that they are unaware. The problem is that they are unwilling. They see the need, but they do not let the need interrupt their lives.

The Samaritan changes the whole story. The untouchable one becomes the merciful one. He sees the wounded man differently. He does not see an interruption, a problem, a project, or an inconvenience. He sees a neighbor in need. Kingdom love begins right there, when people stop being categories and start being people.

The Samaritan also moves toward the mess. Jesus says he “came where the man was.” That phrase matters. Love does not stay on the other side of the road with safe feelings and good intentions. Love crosses the distance, gets close, kneels down, touches what is broken, and acts with compassion.

The Samaritan’s mercy costs him something. It costs time, comfort, resources, money, and future attention. He uses oil and wine, gives up his donkey, pays the innkeeper, and promises to return. Jesus turns the lawyer’s question around. The issue is not, “Who deserves compassion?” The issue is, “Where is God calling mercy to move today?” The lawyer wanted limits. Jesus revealed a lifestyle. Love for the neighbor is not theoretical. It crosses the road, enters the mess, and does likewise.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Love sees who others pass by [09:07] Kingdom love begins before anything heroic happens. The priest and Levite physically saw the wounded man, but their seeing never became mercy. The Samaritan shows that spiritual sight is not mere awareness, but a willingness to let another person’s pain matter. [09:07]
2. Mercy crosses toward the mess [15:14] Compassion that stays at a distance may feel safe, but it has not yet become love. The Samaritan “came where the man was,” and that movement is the shape of mercy. Love does not wait for a clean, simple, convenient situation before it obeys. [15:14]
3. Compassion costs more than feelings [21:05] The Samaritan’s mercy touched his calendar, his comfort, his supplies, his money, and his future plans. Jesus does not present love as sentiment, but as action that spends itself for the good of another. Real mercy is not measured by how deeply a person feels, but by what compassion is willing to carry. [21:05]
4. Jesus changes the neighbor question [25:18] The lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” because he wants a boundary around love. Jesus asks who acted like a neighbor, because the kingdom is not built on minimum requirements. Love stops asking how little is enough and starts asking where mercy is required today. [25:18]
5. Faith must cross that road [27:04] The parable refuses to let faith remain private, tidy, or theoretical. At some point, compassion must have feet, and belief must move toward the person in front of it. The call is not to heal the whole world in one moment, but to notice the need on the road and take one step of mercy.

## [27:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:46] - Kingdom Stories and Real-Life Love
[04:18] - The Lawyer’s Question
[05:57] - Wanting to Justify Himself
[07:01] - The Road to Jericho
[08:42] - Love Sees the Passed-By Person
[12:49] - Reasonable Excuses for Passing By
[15:14] - Love Moves Toward the Mess
[20:17] - The Need Right in Front
[21:05] - Love Acts When It Costs
[24:31] - The One Who Had Mercy
[27:26] - Who Is on the Road?
[28:37] - Take One Step of Mercy
[29:37] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 10:25-37 (ESV)
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Observation Questions

In Luke 10:29, the lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” How does Jesus’ parable shift the focus from defining “neighbor” to defining how to be a neighbor?
What specific actions did the Samaritan take to help the wounded man, and what did these actions cost him (Luke 10:34-35)?
The priest and Levite “saw” the man but passed by (Luke 10:31-32). According to the sermon, what was the key difference between their seeing and the Samaritan’s seeing? [10:09]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus chose a Samaritan, a culturally despised figure, as the hero of the story? How does this challenge the lawyer’s assumptions about who is “worthy” of love?
The sermon says, “The problem was not that [the priest and Levite] were unaware. The problem was that they were unwilling” [10:09]. What might make someone unwilling to act on compassion even when they recognize a need?
Jesus ends the parable by telling the lawyer to “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). What does this imply about the relationship between knowing the right answer (as the lawyer did) and living it out?

Application Questions

The sermon mentions “roads” we avoid crossing—situations or people that feel messy or inconvenient [27:26]. What is one “road” in your life (a relationship, responsibility, or need) you’ve been hesitant to step toward? What practical step could you take this week to move closer?
The Samaritan’s mercy cost him time, resources, and comfort [21:05]. When has showing compassion recently cost you something? How did that experience shape your understanding of love?
The sermon challenges us to “notice the need on the road and take one step of mercy” [28:37]. Identify one person or situation in your daily routine (work, family, neighborhood) where you could intentionally “see” someone others might overlook. What small act of mercy could you offer?
Jesus reframed the lawyer’s question from “Who is my neighbor?” to “Who acted like a neighbor?” [25:18]. How might this shift in perspective change the way you respond to people who are difficult to love or culturally/socially different from you?

Sermon Clips

77s

#SeeThePerson

“``I don't have time. I don't know what to say. I it it's not really my business. Somebody else will help. I have enough problems of my own. But kingdom love begins when we stop seeing people as interruptions, and we start seeing them as divine appointments. The Samaritan saw a wounded man. The others saw the same person, but he saw him differently. He didn't see an inconvenience. He saw a person in need of mercy. Sometimes, one of the most spiritual things that we can do is simply notice other people. Love sees the person that others pass by. Before love ever crosses that road, love opens its eyes.”

74s

#MercyRequires

“That's the turn in the story. Remember, this all started from a lawyer, aka pharisee, who asked Jesus that question, who is my neighbor? Who is my neighbor? And Jesus basically asked the lawyer, will you tell me who acted like a neighbor? You see what's going on here is the lawyer wanted to define the limits of love, and Jesus revealed a lifestyle of love. The lifestyle of love that his kingdom people were expected to live. That was the difference. The question is not who deserves my compassion. The question is where is god calling me to show compassion? The question is not how little can I do and still be okay, still be right with god? The question is, what does mercy require of me today?”

55s

#OneStepOfMercy

“So this week, don't make love complicated. Look for the person in front of you. Notice the need near you. Take one step of mercy. And that that's your homework. That's our homework for this week. Notice the need in front of you, and take one step this week toward mercy. Make the call. Send the note. Offer the help. Share the meal. Pray the prayer. Give a ride. Make the visit. Cross that road. Cross that road. Because love for our neighbors is not theoretical. It crosses the road. It enters the mess and acts with mercy.”

70s

#HelpTheOneInFront

“And that's powerful because many of us want compassion to be clean and simple and easy. We want to help. But do we want to get it to get complicated? No. We don't. We want to care. But if we're honest, we'd rather care from a distance. We don't wanna get caught up in the situation. And and listen, the Samaritan didn't heal the whole world that day. He helped the wounded man in front of him. That matters. Because sometimes we get overwhelmed when we look around and see all the needs in this world and all the needs around us that we cannot physically meet. And if we're not careful, we miss the need right in front of us that we can.”

Ask a question about this sermon

FBC Savoy - IL This sermon · AI assistant

What does love do when it sees need?

When must compassion interrupt our schedules and comfort?

Who qualifies as neighbor to be loved?